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User blog:Racconcityangel/Camp Oggie: Gamer Torture Session?
Hey Boy Scouts and City Slickers!! Welcome to Tuesday Truths, i'm Lacey, your humble guide to the stereotypes and common misconceptions that gamers face. This week, i'm taking a look at the idea that gamers and their ilk are sissies when it comes to the great outdoors. The idea that gamers never leave the house is a common stereotype, added to the fact that we envision video and online gamers specifically as a pale, matrix-jacked version of their former selves. Parents complain that it's hard to get kids outside these days, due to the proliferation of video-related entertainment, and general malignant laziness. But is it really true that technology has caused us to part from our hunter-gatherer roots to the point that we are unequipped to venture outdoors? When i was between 5 and 10, my sisters and i had several game consoles, Super NES, specifically. We were allowed to play after school, when our homework was done or whenever my parents weren't using the TV. During the summer, we were kicked outside to play nearly everyday because my dad worked nights, and we were loud. We would go outside at 9 am or so, we were let in for meals and bathroom breaks, but were otherwise required to entertain ourselves on our one acre plot of garden and pasture. My parents never let gaming become anything but an occasional hour of fun. Or lava, death and frustration. As a teen, i played D&D on friday nights, stayed up late, and slept in on saturday. The rest of the week was business as usual, including school, FFA garden sales, football games (i filmed, go dorks!,) and as much time as possible down by the river with my family. My dad loved to fish and my mom was a rock hunter, so we were raised to enjoy nature, and if we didn't enjoy it, tough luck, we still had to go. Some of my friends from high school started playing MMO's and the precursors to WoW, and were never seen between school friday and school monday... I never could bring myself to stay inside ALL day when the weather was nice. BUT, i was also not really a video or online gamer, and D&D was always played with people who had jobs and lived a town over... I do think that tabletop gamers are capable of that sort of addiction, but video games and online gaming are purposefully available whenever you need them to be. And with the ease of modern life, every need being met, and with an excess of free time, media escapes become more and more common. The fact is that we are almost always near a wifi spot, our cell phones, and somehow, that has created a symbiotic give/take relationship: we created it, and we need it, somehow. If we are unable to update our facebook, check something instantly, and get our gaming fix, we often feel the symptoms of withdrawl. So, the idea of the guy who never leaves his house, never partakes in a romp in the park, neglects his social life, all for a game... is actually pretty true. BUT... it's not true for every gamer, everywhere. And that's where i hope to enlighten some. Not only are the Ogres a social organization, most specifically about connecting with others, we desire to take our love of gaming and make it positive. Along with having very full other lives, our primary hobby is gaming, with an emphasis on social games. We play in people's houses and we play in parking lots, conventions, and restaurants. Our latest project, Camp Oggie, has us playing in a place that is dear to me: The Great Outdoors. From October 22nd thru 24th, the Ogres will venture into Camp Roy C. Manchester (more details,) for a weekend of volunteering (Gamers For Humanity's 28K project,) hanging out, gaming, and backwoods-ing it. Sure, we will probably have our fair share of anemically pale gamers running around looking for a wifi signal, but most of us are just looking foreward to a weekend of sunshine and QAGS fishin' LARP!! In summary, get the hell out of your computer room and go PLAY!! Til next time. Racconcityangel 20:59, September 21, 2010 (UTC) Category:Tuesday Truths Category:Blog posts